• Precious Luna: A Pretiosas Novel
    Chapter One: The Beginning:

    10 Years Prior:

    She let out a refreshed sigh, then resumed to breathing in London’s cool night air. Beneath the gloomy hill her new dark mansion sat atop she could see lanterns being hung in the streets to provide the alleys with light and black carriages being pulled by massive amber brown Clydesdale horses, probably on their way to some wealthy duke’s party. Just over the bustle of people in the streets, she could see London’s clock tower resting on the shoreline of the Thames. She grinned to herself, letting the night’s spectacular sights move her mind away from more important things.

    A light knock came from the giant dark wood doors to her room. She let the heavy blood red velvet curtains fall, obscuring only half of the window before she turned to meet the eyes of the middle aged man who had opened her bedroom door. He looked like a butler with his well-trimmed black and white suit and seemed no older than 27 years of age. She could see that his dark brown hair had been slicked back revealing his forehead. His olive green eyes still held their bright color in the now darkened room.

    “My Lady . . .” he said in a quiet voice, not sure of what to call the mysteriously dark and beautiful lady in front of him. He quickly glanced at her, taking in her appearance, her clothes, her face, her hair, until his eyes rested on hers. In the darkness of her room, he was only able to make out small details of her appearance, but it was her eyes that reminded him of what she was. He swallowed hard when he met her glance, her bright red eyes staring at him like he was prey.

    But she knew she wouldn’t hurt him. She wouldn’t dare to. Even in the dark room, with her enhanced vision, she could see his hands were slightly trembling when he met her gaze. She could also see that he held a wine glass in his hand filled with thick red liquid for her.

    “My Lady,” he said again, slower than the last time he spoke. He had also averted his gaze, gluing his eyes to the floor. “How shall I address you, Milady? It seems impolite to simply keep addressing you as just some lady.” She noticed that his voice shook a little as he spoke, but he tried not to be frightened by her.

    ‘What should he call me?’ she thought to herself. In her entire lifetime, she had been called various names, Celeste when they thought she was a heavenly being, Estella when a man had told her she was like a shooting star, Lilith when they thought she was a magic user and finally, Domina when she showed them that she was far more evil than good. But now, she was in a new place, hiding from her past. What would she be called?

    She turned her head to the partially covered window and glanced outside. She could see that the moon had risen almost to its peak and wondered how breathtaking it would look if it was full instead of crescent shaped as it was now.

    “Luna,” she breathed. She brought her eyes back to the butler in her doorway. “I am called Luna.”

    At the sound of her voice, soft and sweet unlike her harsh red eyes, the man swallowed and felt himself waver as if enchanted by her voice alone. Before he felt he would become manipulated, he walked over to a table in the middle of the dark room and set down the wine glass, quickly retreating back to the doors.

    “Lady Luna,” he said. “I was told to deliver this to your room, that you would be hungry after your long journey here.”

    “Yes, thank you,” Luna said, brushing some of her long dark curls off her right shoulder. She walked to the table and picked up the glass, slowly twirling around the thick liquid inside. “And your name?” she asked the butler.

    He swallowed once before answering her. “My name is Jonathon,” he said. “Mr. Daniel has just hired me.”

    “Ah,” she said, recognizing Daniel’s name. She brought the wine glass to her lips and sipped just a bit of the blood inside. It tasted like fresh boar’s blood. She glanced at Jonathon, the human moving his hands nervously as he watched her drink. “If you are uncomfortable, you may leave,” she said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. To him, she was just another abomination, a monster, a demon.

    “Thank you,” he said, bowing his head. He began closing the doors, but when there was just a crack left, he spoke again. “I apologize if this may sound rude to you, Lady Luna, but I was just curious about one thing.”

    Luna’s head looked in his direction, her red eyes shining even brighter now that the doors had been almost closed and darkness almost completely enveloped her.

    “What is it?” she asked, curious.

    “Are you . . .” he began. She could hear him swallowing and could feel his nervousness through the doors.

    “Go on,” she urged him. She was curious and had found that speaking to him made her somewhat happy. She remembered that she hadn’t really conversed with anyone, especially a human, in over decades.

    “Well,” he said, “Are you really a demon? Like a demon from, you know, hell?”

    Luna smiled, her dimples showing while he couldn’t see in the darkness. ‘Yes,’ she thought, ‘I am.’ She was quite amused with his question, for it was so innocent to her that at that moment, she nearly forgot again that she was evil and could not be happy.

    “Yes,” was all she said, the happiness his question had brought her was now gone. She felt him nod before he closed the dark doors and left, his footsteps retreating rather quickly down the hall. And then she sighed again, no longer having an appetite from all her travels. Instead, she set down the wine glass and walked back to the window.

    Behind her though, Luna was aware that someone else had wandered into her room, quietly while she had been speaking with Jonathon. A gush of coldness brushed up behind her, cold fingers moving down her spine while a hand glided softly down her left cheek.

    “So now, it’s Luna, is it?” a man’s deep voice said into her ear.

    “Daniel,” Luna whispered. She turned around to face him, immediately meeting his own blood red eyes. She pushed him back with the palms of her hands, taking in his appearance as he did hers.

    He wore a tailored black suit with a black bowtie and vest. His tailored pants were creased perfectly and his black shoes were newly polished. Luna returned her eyes to his face where she saw him smile, his white razor sharp fangs greeting her. He had dimples of his own, high cheekbones and slightly sunken eyes, but he was nonetheless a beautiful man, a stunning creature. Despite the fact that he was a handsome vampire, Luna didn’t fully place her trust in him. It must have shown on her face because he frowned.

    Daniel placed his cold hands on her small shoulders and took her in. He glanced at her, up and down, wishing he could taste her, even if it was just a kiss or a small bite. To Daniel, she was beautiful, as breathtakingly beautiful as a vampire woman should be. But she wasn’t one of him. She was something more, much more. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop him from looking at her mesmerized. He marveled at her long dark curls and followed the sight of her hair until its length came to a stop at her hips. Then, Daniel saw what she wore, a thin black dress that clung to her tiny body and hugged the curves of her breasts. The dress’s neckline was low, cutting off just below her collarbone, but the sleeves of the dress draped down her entire arm. He saw that she was barefoot and seemed cold at his touch. He instantly felt apologetic.

    “Are you cold?” he asked her. He pulled her in for an embrace, one for which Luna rejected.

    She pushed him away again and he sighed. He wanted her, wanted to taste her and have her since so long ago, and he’d always wondered why. Was it more than just lust? He seemed to crave her. But he knew she didn’t feel the same because she didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust anyone anymore. Not after running all her life. But now, she was here. She had called to him for help. She was desperate. And even if she didn’t feel the same, he promised that he would keep her safe.

    As if to change the subject, Daniel pointed to the still full wine glass on the table in her room and said, “Does the taste not please you?”

    Luna shook her head. When he was going to hug her, she had wanted to jump into his arms, to allow herself to hide within his embrace, to breathe in his scent and feel his cool touch on her body. But she knew she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t fully trust him just yet, not when she was still on the run.

    “It was good, fresh,” Luna said to him, but she started to gaze outside again.

    “Then why aren’t you drinking it?” he said. She didn’t reply to his question. Instead she raised her own.

    “Are you sure I can stay here?” she asked him, looking out to the Thames and watching a distant couple kiss under the crescent moon. She envied them. They could be passionate and happy in the open and didn’t have to worry about death every second of their lives. She couldn’t. “You won’t regret it if I stay here? If they come after me here?”

    Daniel could see her expression reflected off the window. Her red eyes held sadness and longing in them and her lips slightly frowned. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her and have her feel safe with him and to erase all her worries. For now, all he did was put a hand on the small of her back as he came to stand next to her, offering his support in a way that wouldn’t make her push him away.

    “I will never regret my decision,” he told her, his promise strong and clear. Luna nodded, her curls bouncing with her movement. “You’re always welcome in my home, Genevieve,” he said, whispering her first real name to the London night.

    Present day:

    Luna awoke with a gasp for air as if she hadn’t been able to breath. She had had a nightmare but could not remember what it was. She sat up in her bed, the heavy comforters falling down to bunch around her waist, and she clutched at her chest where her heart was still beating frantically. Attempting to calm herself down, Luna glanced around her room. By now, the sun was just beginning to set and there was little light left in her room, but she could still see everything as if it were still daylight.

    The walls in her room were painted a dull grey and the floors were covered in a dark maroon colored carpet. Along the back of her room, there was a massive chestnut closet set next to her vanity and beside that was a door that led to her very own bathroom where a steel colored cast iron bathtub sat. By the large window draped in heavy red velvet curtains was Luna’s refined dark oak desk and on top of it were books and quills and ink. A small dark table was placed in the center of her room and just above it hung a small yet elaborate chandelier from the high ceiling. Though her room seemed bare and empty, Luna had all she needed and had no desire to ask for more.

    Temporarily forgetting that she had a nightmare, Luna stood up and walked over to the windows, lifting the curtains so she could look at the sunset behind the clock tower. Her feet were bare and the fabric of her white sleep dress was thin, allowing the coldness from the window to send a shiver through her body. Luna instinctively wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. Though she wasn’t a human, she could still feel what they felt, for she was a demon born to a fallen angel and his half demon mate. She shuddered at recalling her cursed heritage. It was because of her heritage that she was on the run.
    Luna sighed, retreating from the window.

    “Maybe I should go see Daniel,” she said to herself. He would soon be waking up and over the last ten years, she had gotten closer to him, allowing him to finally embrace her occasionally and comfort her. She still hadn’t trusted him completely because all her running and hiding had made her cautious, but she did believe in him and she did trust him.

    Luna opened her dark doors and peered down the hall before leaving her room completely and lightly jogging down the hallway towards Daniel’s room. In the hall, she passed by more grey walls and roses in vases set on display. There were few pictures in the hallway, all of which were large paintings of the landscapes of London. But nothing deterred Luna from reaching Daniel’s door.

    She pushed the brass handles of Daniel’s doors down and pushed the door open. From the crack of the door, she could smell Daniel’s scent, that of petrified roses and ice. Without hesitating, Luna let herself in to Daniel’s room and stopped behind the now closed door. The sight in front of her had made her stop and stare.

    Daniel could tell that day had fallen and night was soon to rise. He was tired though and didn’t want to wake up yet, but he knew he had to. Tonight, he had more patrol and it was difficult trying to hide in shadows while observing the violent demons that now roamed the London nights. He knew why there were demons. His thoughts flickered to Luna and he frowned. Daniel knew she was the reason why the demons were killing. It was simply because they could sense her presence here. But he could never forsake her. He would protect her.

    With a groan, Daniel pushed open the lid of his black coffin and sat up. He was right. The sun had just gone down and his room was enveloped in darkness. He got on his knees, ready to push himself out of his coffin when the door to his room opened and a slim figure moved inside. He could tell who it was and he let himself breathe her in. She smelled like vanilla and lavender with a hint of death. He let his gaze fall on her, her body and hair and her eyes. And he had caught her staring at him, her mouth slightly open and her red eyes wide.

    “What?” Daniel said, groggily. Then he realized. Daniel took a quick glance at himself and swore that if he could blush, his face would have been red. He had forgotten that he was naked and he was now on his knees, allowing Luna to see everything from his hips up.

    This time, Luna swallowed hard. She had never seen Daniel naked before. To tell the truth, she had also never just barged into his room before either. But there he was, pale skin and gloriousness radiating off of his muscled body. Luna’s eyes started at his face. It looked like he would have blushed if he could, his messy black hair still falling down in a fringe and his red eyes embarrassed. Then, her eyes shifted lower to his neck and chest. She could see his defined Adam’s apple and thought of his deep voice when he would speak to her. She shivered slightly. His chest moved in and out as if he were breathing rapidly and the movements made his firm pectorals flex, causing Luna’s own breathing to quicken. Her eyes then dropped more. His abdominal region was breathtaking, the muscles rippling as he breathed. Finally, Luna’s eyes widened even more and her breathing hitched as she became fixated on the deep V of Daniel’s chiseled hips and parts of what she could see below that.

    Luna screamed and turned around, letting herself fall to the floor, her hands gripping the cool brass door handles. She shook her head, trying to rid of the memory of what she had just witnessed, but she also didn’t want to completely forget it. At the same time, Daniel had jumped out of his coffin and flew across the room to where his closet was. He quickly pulled on undergarments and a pair of perfectly pressed black trousers. Just as quickly, he pulled on a dark grey undershirt and his shoulders relaxed a bit.

    “Are you alright?” he asked Luna, who was still on the floor, refusing to look at him. He saw her nod and attempt to open the door to leave. Instantly, he flew across the room to her and closed the door, his hand on top of hers and he could feel feverish heat from their contact. He swallowed and turned her around to face him. Seeing her face, the slight pink covering her full cheeks and the embarrassment in her eyes, he felt desire overtake him. Daniel pulled Luna to him and held her, letting her head rest on his chest where his heart was but didn’t beat. He lowered his head and took in the scent of her, of vanilla and lavender.

    “What are you doing here?” he asked, curious about her presence in his room. He was also trying to keep from turning into a beast and sinking his fangs into her neck to let them both feel a wonderful ecstasy.

    “I,” Luna said. “I had a nightmare. I don’t remember what it was about, but I wanted to talk about it.” She could feel his chest rumble as he laughed. Luna let him pull her away and looked up into his bright red eyes. She could feel his amusement through them.

    “You’ve definitely changed since coming here,” he said, leading her to his window. “Ten years ago,” he began, “no, just five years ago, you’d never let me touch you. Now, you’re barging into my room and taking advantage of my vulnerability.”

    Luna blushed again. She pushed his arm away from her and pouted her lips.

    “I was not warned in any way that you did not sleep clothed. My intentions were also quite innocent for coming here,” Luna said, attempting to keep her voice neutral. “Don’t forget, I could easily kill you as well, you vampire. You beast.”

    Daniel knew her threat wasn’t meant to be harsh. He saw that she couldn’t even keep her voice straight. He noticed her nervousness and smiled, his dimples making Luna smile back at him.

    “Yes, I am a beast,” Daniel acknowledged. “But don’t you forget either that I am more beastly than you.” He grinned and patted Luna on the head before taking her hand in his and opening his window with his free hand.

    Luna looked out Daniel’s window. His view was different from hers. From her window, she could see London and most of its glory, the Thames, the clock tower, the alleys and markets. But here, all she could see was darkness and trees. She wondered if Daniel ever felt sad just looking at the trees. She knew she would. If being chased and running away had taught her anything other than survival and death, Luna knew sadness and fear. Ever since that day, she never used her powers to their greatest extent, only allowing herself to wield the basic weapons and survival skills she had. Because if she used her full power, they could find her and there would be another massacre. They would let her drown in a pool of human blood as they tried to take her life from her, for her life could grant the greatest power to the one who obtained it.

    Luna shivered and Daniel squeezed her hand.

    “I have to go soon,” he said, looking down at her.

    “I know,” she said, but they stood still, Luna’s warm hand melting the coldness from Daniel’s.

    Suddenly, from the shadows of the trees, a large bat flew to the window and landed on Daniel’s outstretched left hand. It screeched for a brief moment and then flew out into the darkness, letting Daniel drop his hand down to his side and sigh.

    “I really have to go,” he said again.

    In truth, Daniel didn’t want to go. He wanted to keep on holding Luna’s hand and forget about the demons that threatened not only her life, but the lives of everyone living in London. But he couldn’t. Vampires weren’t supposed to care about humans, but because Luna cared, he also cared and he didn’t want to make her sadder than she already was. He let go of her hand to retrieve a long black trench coat from his closet and put it on before heading back to the window.

    “Dr. Jekyll needs my help tonight,” Daniel said. “It seems the attacks have only gotten worse and no hunters have been able to make it here alive. Not even the Nephilim.” Daniel’s brows creased and a frown appeared on his face. “I may be back late, when the sun comes up,” he said. “But don’t worry, I will protect you.”

    His long and cold fingers brushed Luna’s lips and he smiled at her, telling her not to worry. Luna smiled back at him, but in her heart, she wanted to ask him again if he regretted letting her live with him. The thought quickly vanished as Daniel leaned down and pressed his lips lightly over Luna’s forehead. It was short and gentle, but Luna’s heart raced and she felt disappointed when he pulled away from her.

    “It’ll be over soon,” Daniel said to Luna before jumping out the window and flying into the dangerous London night.

    Guilt washed over Luna and her knees gave way as she slouched down against the carpet in Daniel’s room.

    “No, Daniel,” she whispered. “You’re wrong. This is just the beginning.”